Bill Would Allow Computer Coding To Count As Foreign Language
August 22, 2017
A Senate Republican filed a proposal Monday that could lead to some high-school students taking computer coding courses to get foreign-language credits. The bill filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, would allow — but not require — high schools to offer two credits in computer coding.
Students who take the coding courses and earn related industry certifications would be able to satisfy two credits of foreign-language instruction.
Florida College System schools and state universities would have to recognize the coding courses as foreign-language credits. But parents and students also would have to sign statements acknowledging that out-of-state colleges and universities might not recognize the coding courses.
The bill, which is filed for the 2018 legislative session, would make the changes effective with the 2020-2021 school year.
by The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Overcome Jackson 3-1
August 22, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder Josh VanMeter seems automatic with runners in scoring position.
The 22-year-old came to the plate Monday with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning and drilled a ground ball into left field to drive in two runs, giving Pensacola a, 3-1, victory against the Jackson Generals at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
VanMeter’s game-winning single drove in second baseman Arismendy Alcantara and right fielder Gabriel Guerrero. Additionally, he is now 3-for-7 or .429 with the bases loaded with 10 RBIs.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly liked VanMeter’s chances at the plate in that situation.
“I can’t think of a better guy to come up in that situation,” Kelly said. “Even lefty on lefty he got a fastball and pulled it. That was beautiful.”
The win was the first in the five-game series against Jackson and its last 10-games at home.
“Everyone dreams of being in that situation,” VanMeter said. “Those situations are always fun for sure. We know we’re in the playoffs but we’re still competing. We ultimately want to win the second half. Hopefully, we can make it five.”
Pensacola, which won the first half Southern Division crown, and the Tennessee Smokies are the only two teams in Southern League history to win four halves in a row. Tennessee did it between 2009 and 2011.
With Monday’s win, the Blue Wahoos improved to 27-29 in the second half and are 2.5 games out of first place behind the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Jackson fell to 25-31 in the Northern Division.
Pensacola right fielder Gabriel Guerrero crushed a bomb to left field to put the Blue Wahoos on the scoreboard first in the third inning, 1-0. It was his sixth homer this season. Plus, Guerrero went 2-2 with two walks and two runs scored for his 39th multi-hit game of the season.
Jackson tied the score, 1-1, when left fielder Jamie Westbrook, who walked to lead off the fifth inning, scored on a Vladimir Frias sacrifice fly to center field. With two outs, Jackson starting pitcher Joel Payamps hit a long fly ball to the warning track in the right center gap that Pensacola’s Guerrero chased down to prevent Generals right fielder Kelly Dugan from scoring from second.
Meanwhile, in his last five starts, Deck McGuire has chased his career-high 10 wins. But the seven-year minor league veteran left after seven innings Monday with the game tied, 1-1. His record remained stuck at 9-8 with a Southern League leading 2.63 ERA.
“It doesn’t matter as long as we win the game I don’t care who gets the win,” McGuire said.
The 2010 first round draft pick allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out six.
This season, McGuire also leads the Southern League in innings pitched with 157.1, is tied for first with 155 strikeouts and second with opponents batting .207 against him. It has led to a resurgence in his professional career.
“The biggest thing for me is being more consistent,” McGuire said. “I’m having a lot of fun. Hopefully, I’ll be in the big leagues one day.”
It also consoles Kelly to know McGuire will pitch every fifth day in Pensacola’s rotation.
“We know every fifth day he’s a guy who is going to get a ton of innings for you,” Kelly said. “He’s going to have 27 or 28 starts for us and he has taken advantage of it.”
Pensacola reliever Carlos Gonzalez got the last three outs for his fifth save in seven opportunities. In his previous three games, he was 0-1 pitching 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks and striking out one.
Jackson starting pitcher Joel Payamps worked six innings and allowed one run on four hits and two walks and struck out five.
Photos courtesy Barrett McClean Photography/Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lockdown Lifted At All Florida Prisons
August 21, 2017
The Florida Department of Corrections announced Monday morning that normal operations have resumed at all prisons, including Century Correctional and Santa Rosa Correctional institutions. The announcement follows a statewide partial lockdown that started last week and cancellation of weekend visitations at all major institutions, work camps and annex facilities.
“We made a planned, strategic decision to take proactive action to uphold our mission to protect public safety and keep our staff and inmates safe. I am confident the measures taken were not only necessary but effective. I am incredibly proud of our team across the Department for joining together to enhance the safety of our facilities and prevent any major disturbances from taking place,” said FDC Secretary Julie Jones.
The lockdown was “in response to credible intelligence indicating that small groups of inmates at several institutions may attempt to disrupt FDC operations and impact safety and security,” according to a department release.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Fannie Road: Naked Woman Delays Drivers In Century
August 21, 2017
A naked woman delayed the morning commute for several drivers in Century Monday morning. The woman was reportedly running around Fannie Road naked. After Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies and firemen from Century and Flomaton were able to catch her, she was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for evaluation. NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos by Trina Coburn, click to enlarge.
Highway 4 Delays Tuesday In Century
August 21, 2017
The Florida Department of Transportation says drivers can expect delays Tuesday in Century on East Highway 4.
Crews will perform underground utility work between the CSX railroad crossing and Old Flomaton Road resulting in a westbound lane restriction from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Drivers are reminded to use caution when traveling through the construction zone, and to pay attention for workers and equipment entering and exiting the work area. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
One Injured In 9 1/2 Mile Road Crash
August 21, 2017
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash early Sunday evening on 9 1/2 Mile Road and Edendale Lane. The driver apparently lost control of their Subaru, ran off the roadway, struck a culvert and overturned. The driver was transport by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment. NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Urban School Districts Helped At Expense Of Rural Districts?
August 21, 2017
Two Republican senators havey requested a study of a long-controversial part of Florida’s school-funding formula, arguing it helps urban school districts at the expense of suburban and rural districts.
Senate Education Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, and Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, sent a letter to Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, seeking a study of what is known as the “district cost differential.”
That part of the school-funding formula takes into account costs of living in different parts of the state and has repeatedly spurred legislative debates over the years. In the letter, Hukill and Hutson said, in part, that the so-called DCD has the effect of reducing money allotted to some school districts while increasing money going to other districts.
They requested that the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability “conduct a study of the DCD and provide recommendations on what factors are used to determine the DCD, what the appropriate formula should be, how allocations should be distributed among the school districts, are there alternatives to the DCD, and whether the DCD should be eliminated.”
by The News Service of Florida
Mississippi Downs Wahoos 3-2 On Walk-off Single
August 21, 2017
Thanks to first baseman Gavin LaValley, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos tied the game 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning.
LaValley smacked a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in right fielder Gabriel Guerrero but the Mississippi Braves loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and shortstop Dylan Moore delivered a single to right field that scored pinch runner Joey Meneses to give the Braves a, 3-2, victory Sunday at Trustmark Park.
Pensacola won the five-game series, 3-2.
The Blue Wahoos fell to 26-29 in the second half in the Southern Division and the first half champions are 66-59 overall this season. Meanwhile, Mississippi improved to 16-37 in the second half and 50-73 overall.
For the second game in a row, Pensacola’s bats betrayed them. They were hitting .294 and averaging 8.5 runs a game but only earned four hits Sunday, after earning three the day before.
Mississippi righty Wes Parsons threw seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, a walk and striking out six Pensacola batters.
The Braves led 2-0 when he left the game scoring a run in the second inning when second baseman Travis Demeritte doubled, his 17th of the year, to score left fielder Jared James, who had hit his sixth triple of the season, which tied him for third in the Southern League.
In the sixth inning, Mississippi scored the second time when third baseman Austin Riley singled on a ground ball to center field that drove in right fielder Tyler Neslony.
Pensacola finally scored in the eighth inning when second baseman Alberti Chavez grounded into a double play that scored center fielder Jonathan Reynoso from third base to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 2-1.
Starting for Pensacola Sunday was right-hander Jose Lopez who pitched six innings, allowed two runs on five hits and no walks and struck out six. He didn’t factor in the decision and is 7-1 with a 2.50 ERA.
Pensacola closer Zack Weiss, who has nine saves for Pensacola, blew his third save opportunity and earned the loss to fall to 2-3 with a 3.93 ERA. He gave up two hits and walked one in 0.2 innings of relief.
Local Unemployment Falls Slightly
August 21, 2017
The latest job numbers show the employment rate falling slightly in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Escambia County’s seasonably adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent in July, down slightly from 4.4 percent in June. There were 6,195 people reported unemployed during the period. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 5.2 percent.
“Over the last year, more than 3,000 jobs were created for Pensacola families, which is great news. Our commitment to keeping taxes low has played a major role in turning around our economy and we will continue to fight to cut additional taxes and keep taxes low for generations to come,” Gov. Rick Scott said Friday.
The industries with the highest growth over the year in Pensacola were leisure and hospitality with 1,500 new jobs and professional and business services with 1,000 new jobs. The Pensacola area had 5,195 job openings in July, including 1,712 openings for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations.
Santa Rosa County’s unemployment rate was at 4.2 percent in July, down from 4.2 percent in June. Santa Rosa County had a total of 3,281 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 4.9 percent.
Florida’s unemployment rate remained unchanged from June to July, holding at 4.1 percent, as the state reported a slight decline in the number of people working. The latest estimates, released by the state Department of Economic Opportunity, reflected about 411,000 Floridians out of work in July from a workforce of 10.1 million.
The state unemployment rate remains below the national rate of 4.3 percent. The state agency estimated a drop of 24,000 people in the overall workforce from June to July, while the number of people out of work fell by 9,000. Gov. Rick Scott used the monthly data release to say the state has created 1.4 million jobs since he took office, doubling a pledge from his 2010 campaign.
The jobless numbers released by the state do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Davis Highway Crash Claims Life Of Motorcyclist
August 20, 2017
A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on Davis Highway early Saturday evening..
The Florida Highway Patrol said 57-year old Tony Isaac of Pensacola was traveling east on Davis Highway approaching Smiths Fish Camp Road on a 2014 Harley. That’s when a 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by 27-year Jacquina McCall of Pensacola changed lanes into his path.
Isaac took evasive action, swerving into a turn lane. He collided with a 2013 Dodge Avenger driven by 60-year old Deborah Brown of Pensacola. Isaac was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Brown and McCall were not injured.
Any charges are pending the outcome of a FHP investigation.